• Ligue 1

Marseille striker 'offended by burger ad jibe'

Andre-Pierre Gignac is often mocked by opposing fans for his sturdy physique © Getty Images

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Andre-Pierre Gignac has reacted angrily to a fast-food chain making fun of him to publicise the opening of a new branch in Marseille, according to La Provence.

The Marseille striker, 28, is often mocked by opposing fans for his sturdy physique with the chant "a Big Mac for Gignac."

That theme was taken up by Burger King, who heralded the opening of their second Marseille-based outlet in the city's Grand Littoral shopping centre on Tuesday with full-page adverts in local newspapers stating: "A Whopper for Gignac."

The adverts also included a tweet from Burger King's French account, which read: "We've never been good at rhymes, burgers are our thing."

On n'a jamais été bons sur les rimes. Notre truc, c'est le burger. pic.twitter.com/gUiuf71A9c

— Burger King France (@BurgerKingFR) April 17, 2014

However, La Provence has reported that the France international, who is Marseille's leading scorer with 14 Ligue 1 goals this season, is unhappy his name has been used in such a manner by the fast-food chain, and that he has already taken steps to seek reparations.

Should Burger King fail to appease the former Lorient and Toulouse player, the paper claims he will take his case to court.

In the summer of 2011, L'Equipe reported that Gignac had been sent to the Italian city of Merano to undergo a week-long weight-loss programme, as then-Marseille coach Didier Deschamps was unhappy with his fitness.

Gignac was in France's 2010 World Cup squad, however, he failed to be included for Les Bleus' 2014 World Cup playoff against Ukraine in November. His most recent international call-up was last August.

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